Jade Potstickers

These steamed meat dumplings were inspired by Chinese potstickers. Instead of wonton skins they are wrapped in chard leaves. Don’t worry if the chard seems loose when you first wrap it. The leaves will collapse around the meat filling as they steam.

¼ cup of rice flour or ¼ cup of millet ground fine in a coffee grinder

12 large chard leaves

Wash the chard leaves well and remove the bottom end of the stems. Be sure that you leave the top of the leaf attached. Mix together the meat, seasonings, vegetables and flour. Divide the meat mixture into 12 equal portions. Place each portion into the top, center of a chard leaf and roll the leaf around it tucking in the edges as necessary (like making a burrito). Repeat this with the other rolls. Place them in a steamer basket and steam them over medium-high heat for ~ 15 minutes (be sure to watch the steamer so that it doesn’t run out of water). You may need to rotate the rolls half way through cooking to make sure they cook evenly. Cut a roll in ½ and test it to make sure they are fully cooked. Serve the rolls hot with rice or noodles and dipping sauces*. This recipe serves 3-4 people. If you are serving more you can double it but you may have to cook them in 2 batches.

*Dipping sauces can be very simple. Try tamari and rice vinegar with chopped fresh basil or cilantro.

Creamy Quinoa Pudding

This recipe works best if you soak the quinoa overnight before cooking it . If you don’t have time to soak it be sure to rinse it very well, because quinoa has a bitter coating that needs to be washed off prior to cooking.

1 cup of quinoa soaked overnight and rinsed well. After rinsing, the quinoa may be stored int eh refrigerator for up to 2 days prior to cooking.

½ teaspoon salt

1 can of organic coconut milk (Native Forrest brand does not use BPA)

1 teaspoon vanilla or a 2 inch section of vanilla pod, split

¼ teaspooon ground nutmeg (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon)

2-4 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey

Place the quinoa in a pot with 2 cups of water and the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer the mixture for ~20 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed. Blend in the coconut milk, vanilla, nutmeg and 2 tablespoons sweetener. Bring the mixture back to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer it covered, stirring ~ every 5 minutes for ½ hour. You may add a little water if it seems to be running out of liquid. Taste the mixture and add more sweetener if desired. Allow the pudding to cool to room temperature and serve it topped with chopped nuts or fruit. You may also chill it in the refrigerator before serving it.

Variation: Instead of coconut milk use homemade nut milk. Combine ½ cup of nuts (hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, etc.) with 1 cup of water in a blender. Make sure the lid is on tight and process the mixture until it is very smooth. Then slowly add 1 cup more water to the mixture while blending. Use this in place of the coconut milk.